Fighting Fracking: Canadian Style

Rexton, New Brunswick, Canada - Forty people have been arrested and five police cruisers burned last week following an attempt by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) to disperse shale gas protesters that had been blocking the activities of energy company SWN Resources Canada for several weeks.

Following a court injunction against the protesters, mostly comprised of the Elsipogtog Mi’kmaq First Nation Indian tribe, the RCMP moved in to remove their blockade of the compound where the natural gas exploration company stored its equipment.

First Nation want SWN Resources to cease their seismic testing and leave the province. The tribe believe that the company's eventual hydraulic fracturing operations could pollute the area's drinking water. Some analysts have pointed out that native tribes may not have been consulted regarding resource development on what may be considered traditional land.

According to one witness, things turned ugly after authorities pepper sprayed the protesters, resulting in the lobbing of Molotov cocktails at police whose vehicles were set ablaze.

The RCMP says it has worked diligently with all parties to come to a peaceful solution, but their efforts had proved ineffective. Now, authorities have cordoned off the area in order to ensure public safety, according to press reports.